By Jonah Kirabo
Last month, I accepted an invitation from SEATINI Uganda to attend a breakfast meeting where we discussed the relationship between the Energy Charter Treaty and the fight for climate justice in Uganda.
To be honest, I’m still stunned that someone in our Energy Ministry is considering tying our country to this “legal rope.”
As Eron Kiiza stated during the dialogue, the treaty is legal nonsense designed to protect investors in the fuel industry while providing no benefits to countries like ours that are already deeply in debt.
To begin, the ECT is a legally binding multilateral instrument for the promotion of international cooperation in the energy sector, including investment protection, trade liberalization, transit freedom, dispute resolution, and environmental aspects. It was signed in December 1994 and became law in April 1998.
Since 2012, the ECT Secretariat has worked hard to broaden its geographical reach, focusing on countries with abundant energy resources, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.
In December 2019, the Government of Uganda sent a “Accession Intention Letter” to the Secretary General of the International Energy Charter, informing the Secretariat of Uganda’s intention to join and ratify the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). Our country is currently awaiting an invitation to join the ECT.
The ECT has been heavily criticized for impeding the transition to renewable energy. Several European countries, including Italy, that have attempted to withdraw from this treaty have been sued for more than $400 million USD due to a “zombie” clause in the treaty that allows fossil fuel companies to sue governments for loss of profit on their investments.
More information about the treaty can be found here:
If you’re an environmentalist like me, an energy or climate activist, a researcher, a journalist, or someone who cares about Uganda, I urge you to pay close attention to this treaty and urge the Ugandan government not to join it.
More details: https://seatiniuganda.org/download/busting-the-myths-around-the-energy-charter-treaty/